By Field Level Media-Reuters

The NBA’s chances of resuming the 2019-20 season due to the global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic are growing smaller, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said.

Speaking late Friday on “SportsCenter,” Windhorst said NBA owners are increasingly pessimistic that play will resume this season. As a result, the league and the NBPA are discussing a deal to end the season officially.

“They’re not having talks to restart the league,” Windhorst said. “They’re having financial talks about what would happen if the season shut down and I think there’s a significant amount of pessimism right now.”

The NBA was suspended indefinitely on March 11 after All-Star center Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19.

The league has been following the movement of the Chinese Basketball Association, which shut down early this year and had hoped to resume play soon. But on Thursday, the Chinese government put an end to that idea.

“A big reason was what happened in China where they halted the return of their league,” Windhorst said. “They believed if they just tested the players’ temperatures all the time that it would work, and the Chinese are finding that asymptomatic carriers are causing a second wave in that country.”

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Agence France-Presse

Houston Astros pitcher Justin Verlander said Saturday he plans to donate his pay to COVID-19 relief efforts during baseball’s shutdown.

In a post on Instagram, Verlander and his wife Kate Upton said they had decided to give his paychecks to a different organization each week as baseball awaits the start of the season.

View this post on Instagram

Recently the @mlb announced they will be continuing to send paychecks to players while the season is suspended. @kateupton and I have decided to donate those funds to a different organization each week so that we can support their efforts and highlight the great work they’re doing during the COVID-19 crisis. Everyone around the world is affected by this virus, and we hope to contribute to the families and jobs affected, the healthcare workers and first responders on the front lines and the many others in need of basic necessities, medical supplies and support at home. As soon as the first paycheck is received we will be highlighting the first organization. We know everyone is impacted by this crisis, but for those who are able, we encourage you to stay home to help flatten the curve and look to those around you who need a helping hand. #covid19 #flattenthecurve

A post shared by Justin Verlander (@justinverlander) on Apr 4, 2020 at 8:38am PDT

//www.instagram.com/embed.js

The 2020 Major League Baseball season was due to get under way on March 26 but was suspended before a single pitch had been tossed as the coronavirus pandemic erupted.

“(Kate Upton) and I have decided to donate those funds to a different organization each week so that we can support their efforts and highlight the great work they’re doing during the COVID-19 crisis,” Verlander said.

“Everyone around the world is affected by this virus, and we hope to contribute to the families and jobs affected, the healthcare workers and first responders on the front lines and the many others in need of basic necessities, medical supplies and support at home.”

USA Today reported that Verlander would be paid $4,773 per day for 60 days of the shutdown, or $286,980.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Kristel Satumbaga

International Master Joel Pimentel blew away the competition to capture the third leg of the 1st Philippine National Bullet Chess Championship done online Saturday.

The 27-year-old Pimentel, a Bacolod City native, scored 142 points in 52 games to rule the event and join a list of past winners headed by Grandmaster Banjo Barcenilla in this event organized and sanctioned by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines and bankrolled by its president and chairman Butch Pichay.

It was a tour de force performance by the former Army man as he won by a wide margin of 25 points over teenage sensation Michael Concio, who finished with 117 points.

United States-based GM Mark Paragua came in third with 109.

Rounding up the top 10 were Ellan Asuela, Sherwin Tiu, Barcenilla, IM Paulo Bersamina, IM Joel Banawa, Chester Neil Reyes and Karl Ochoa.

The tournament, which stakes a total cash pot worth more than P200,000, is being done every Saturday on chess online app, lichess.org, as an alternative since all on-the-board events are postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, International Master Daniel Quizon added another feather to his cap as he ruled the Rising Phoenix tribute tournament dubbed “WIM Arianne Caoili Memorial Arena” recently.

The 15-year-old Quizon drew with IM Jan Emmanuel Garcia in the final round to finish with 124 points, nine points ahead of Paragua, who totaled 115 points.

Garcia finished a distant third with 103 points in this two-hour tournament done in memory of Caoili, a Fil-Aussie chess player who passed away last week due to complications sustained in a car accident.

It was another strong effort for Quizon, who won the final leg of the Rising Phoenix tilt and finished second twice in the first two legs of the 1st Philippine National Bullet Chess Championships.

Air Force man Lennon Hart Salgados wound up fourth with 99 while Letran standout Mark Daluz was fifth with 98.

Rounding up the top 10 of this tournament organized by Rising Phioenix founder IM Joel Banawa were University of Santo Tomas’ Samson Lim with 97, IM Richeliu Salcedo with 94, Mark Jay Bacojo with 94, Michael Concio with 89 and Kyle Ochoa with 87.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jonas Terrado

Manufacturing companies known for providing uniforms to teams in the pro and amateur ranks have shifted their attention on helping health workers fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

LGR and Jersey Haven are some of the businesses that are using their resources to produce and donate as many personal protective equipments as possible for hospitals in Metro Manila and nearby provinces.

The scarcity of the said equipments and the numerous requests of doctors and nurses have prompted LGR Executive Vice President Rhayan Cruz and Jersey Haven head Andrew Tan to take part in the endeavor.

“First week of lockdown, hindi pa natin na-feel yung need ng PPEs, pagpasok ng second week all hospitals are already asking for PPEs,” said Cruz, whose company outfits PBA teams TNT KaTropa, Meralco Bolts and NLEX Road Warriors and the Philippine Azkals.

“After watching the news and hearing our frontliners, kailangan na tumulong ni LGR. We have enough resources of imported repellent fabrics to support the needs of the hospitals,” he added.

Tan, whose Jersey Haven he co-owns with his brother Alvin manufactures the uniforms of Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and several MPBL teams, took the initiative of making PPEs through a donation drive.

“Wala kasing kaming work since lockdown, so di naman sila (production team) pwedeng walang pagkakitaan kasi may mga family din sila, so nag-explore kami ng options ng brother ko,” Tan said.

“Then nag-message sa akin bigla yung batchmate ko na may donation drive group sila, and they were looking for someone who can help them manufacture PPEs,” he added.

It didn’t take a while for Cruz and Tan to find ideas on how to create PPEs.

Cruz took inspiration from a Hazmat Suit Coverall he got from a friend who serves as a doctor at the Philippine General Hospital while Tan was able to find a suit after efforts to find a sample through Facebook groups.

“Gumawa kami ng prototype, then we made sure na magagamit ng mga frontliners at pinaapprove namin yung suit sa PGH HICU (Hospital Infection Control Unit) department which they approved and recommended na pwede for high-risk use,” said Tan.

LGR began several days to manufacture the said PPEs, with the aim of completing 10,000 pieces over the next four weeks. Cruz said the PPEs will be donated to PGH and the Taguig Pateros District Hospital, though they have received requests from numerous hospitals and even pilots from Philippine Airlines.

Tan’s company has already sent completed suits to PGH, Philippine Orthopedic Hospital, Ospital ng Maynila and Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital. He also said that the target is for them to likewise make 10,000 pieces of PPEs.

The two companies join a list of individuals and groups in the sports community that have taken initiatives in helping those affected by the pandemic.

Athletes, coaches and teams have done their own share through various endeavors since the government imposed an “enhanced community quarantine” in hopes of slowing down the spread of the virus.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Field Level Media-Reuters

All eight finalists for enshrinement in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, headed by the late Kobe Bryant, will be inducted, according to various media reports Friday.

The other reported members of the Hall’s Class of 2020 will be Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Eddie Sutton, Rudy Tomjanovich, Tamika Catchings, Kim Mulkey and Barbara Stevens.

Bryant, Duncan, Garnett and Catchings all are first-time finalists. Nominees needed to received at least 18 votes from the 24 electors to be enshrined.

The official announcement will be made Saturday at noon ET on ESPN. The news normally is revealed at the site of the NCAA men’s basketball Final Four, which this year would have been Atlanta, but the entire NCAA Tournament was canceled due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that Bryant, Duncan and Garnett were elected.

The Tulsa World broke the news about Sutton, with ESPN adding that it confirmed the report.

Fox 26 Houston and the Houston Chronicle reported that Tomjanovich was voted in, while longtime women’s basketball reporter Mel Greenberg tweeted that Catchings, Mulkey and Stevens were elected.

Bryant died Jan. 26 at 41 in a helicopter crash. He was an 18-time All-Star, five-time NBA champion, two-time scoring champion and the 2007-08 Most Valuable Player. The Los Angeles Lakers great ranks fourth in NBA history in points, and he was selected to the All-Defensive team 12 times.

Duncan, 43, was a 15-time All-Star, five-time NBA champion and the MVP in 2001-02 and 2002-03. The San Antonio Spurs stalwart received 15 All-Defensive nods and was a three-time NBA Finals MVP.

Garnett, 43, was a 15-time All-Star, an NBA champion with the Boston Celtics in 2007-08 and the league MVP in 2003-04. He played the majority of his career with the Minnesota Timberwolves and had a brief stint with the Brooklyn Nets.

Sutton, 84, coached Creighton, Arkansas, Kentucky and Oklahoma State to the NCAA Tournament, reaching the Final Four three times. Including a brief stint at San Francisco, he wound up with an 804-328 career record.

Tomjanovich, 71, coached the Houston Rockets to NBA championship in 1993-94 and 1994-95. He also averaged 17.4 points and 8.1 rebounds in 11 seasons as a player with the Rockets, and he was an All-American for Michigan, where he remains the all-time leading rebounder and is second in scoring average.

Catchings, 40, was a 10-time All-Star in 15 years with the WNBA’s Indiana Fever. She was the MVP of the WNBA Finals as the Fever won the league title in 2012, a year after she was the regular-season MVP. She was a five-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year.

Mulkey, 57, was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a player in 2000, and now she is entering as a coach. She led Baylor to NCAA titles in 2004, 2012 and 2019, and she was selected the USBWA National Coach of the Year in 2011, 2012 and 2019.

Stevens, 65, has amassed a total of 1,039 coaching wins for three Massachusetts programs: Clark, UMass and Bentley. A five-time WBCA Division II National Coach of the year, she led Bentley to the 2014 Division II title.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Nick Giongco

While the boxing world hibernates, Manny Pacquiao named the four fighters who gave him a taste of hell.

Speaking to the Manila Bulletin, Pacquiao, boxing’s one and only eight-division champion, made mention of four names: Juan Manuel Marquez, Erik Morales, Antonio Margarito and Miguel Cotto.

Pacquiao fought Marquez four times and Morales thrice.

The first fight with Marquez in 2004 ended on a draw despite Pacquiao flooring the Mexican three times.

The rematch took place in 2008 and Pacquiao carved out a split decision and the third in 2010 was a majority decision win for Pacquiao. But in 2012, Marquez scored a pulsating sixth-round, one-punch kayo of the Filipino.

Morales was likewise a thorn for Pacquiao.

When they rumbled the first time in 2005, Morales posted a unanimous decision over Pacquiao, whose amazing winning run in the US screeched to a halt.

But Pacquiao exacted payback in the second meeting in early-2006 with a tenth-round knockout and later in the year punctuated his dominance by dispatching Morales in less than three rounds.

Cotto didn’t looked though he pushed Pacquiao to the limit but Pacquao insists the shaven-skulled Puerto Rican was a tough nut to crack.

Though he stopped him in the 12th round, Pacquiao suffered an ear rupture as Cotto landed some pretty good shots.

Amongst them all, Pacquiao swears it was the hulking Margarito, the lumbering 5-11 banger who inflicted so much hurt and pain that he vowed never to campaign north of the welterweight division (147 lbs) ever again.

Pacquiao’s clash with Margarito was contested at super-welterweight (154 lbs) in late-2010 at the Cowboys Stadium in Texas.

Margarito wound up black and blue, his eyes closed shut and his orbital bone smashed.

But Pacquiao admits it was his own version of Muhammad Ali’s near-death experience with Joe Frazier in the 1975 Thrilla in Manila.

“He was just too big, too strong for me,” said Pacquiao from his Dasmarinas Village residence where he is on self-quarantine.

What made it a gut-wrenching experience was the weight difference.

Although they both agreed to a catchweight of 150 lbs, Pacquao just tipped in at 144 during the official weighin on the eve of the brutal bout.

Margarito came in exactly at 150.

But when they answered the bell, Pacquiao just added four pounds while Margarito pumped up an astonishing 15 lbs.

By the time they slugged it out, Pacquiao was being outweighed by 17 lbs.

Adding to the burden was that Pacquiao was a naturally small man, having began his career at 105 lbs before winning titles at 112 (flyweight), 122 (super-bantam), 126 (feather), 130 (super-feather), 135 (lightweight), 140 (super-lightweight) and 147 (welter).

“Imagine, I could have been a ten-division world champion if I fought (for a world title) at 115 (super-fly) and 118 (bantam).”

Still, Pacquiao remembers the Margarito brawl as the one fight that made him realize where and when he should toe the line.

“I never realized how big and strong he was until I felt his punches,” said Pacquiao, revealing that a shot to the ribcage late from Margarito in the light almost took the life out of him.

“Grabe talaga,” he said.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Nick Giongco

The financial request the Games and Amusements Board (GAB) submitted to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for licensed fighters and trainers of boxing, Muay Thai and mix martial arts have been “approved in principle.”

GAB chairman Baham Mitra told the Manila Bulletin on Friday night that DSWD Undersecretary Aimee Neri called him to relay the news that all 1,133 licensees would receive cash from the government owing to the pandemic.

The government is releasing P270-billion for low-income earners and Mitra said in a letter to the DSWD that the boxers, Muay Thai and MMA practitioners fall under this category.

The DSWD has also forwarded to the GAB a bar code that will formalize the approval of financial help not only to the fighters but to their trainers and seconds as well.

The amount would depend on the region where a licensee belongs. The government says the assistance will range from a minimum of P5,000 to a high of P8,000.

Those from Metro Manila will receive P8,000 while those who reside in a region with lower standard of living will get P5,000.

The lack of activity has been difficult for the boxers’ handlers to fund them, especially since it could not be determined until when the lockdown and work stoppage will be enforced.

Manila-based boxing managers Joven Jimenez and Art Monis and Brix Flores of Cebu and top trainer Edito Villamor had earlier welcomed GAB’s move.

Mitra said the DSWD will task GAB to handle the registration of the recipients.

“We are just doing minor revisions, then we will receive the forms that will filled up by our boxers and other licensees,” added Mitra.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Agence France-Presse

Neymar has donated $1 million to fight the impact of the new coronavirus (COVID-19) in his native Brazil, according to TV network SBT.

The Paris Saint-Germain star, the world’s third-highest-paid footballer, donated part of the money to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the rest to a charitable fund launched by his friend Luciano Huck, a Brazilian TV presenter, the report said.

The striker’s press office declined to comment, saying: “We never talk about donations or amounts.”

Neymar, 28, followed the example of PSG teammate Kylian Mbappe, who last month made what was described as a major donation — amount undisclosed — to a French charity helping fight the impact of COVID-19.

Huck, who has been touted as a possible candidate in Brazil’s 2022 presidential election, launched his fund to help poor Rio de Janeiro neighborhoods particularly vulnerable to coronavirus.

The donations come as high-paid footballers face pressure to forego some of their salaries amid the crisis, which has ground the sporting world to a halt and left some clubs struggling to pay their staff.

Neymar is riding out the pandemic at his luxury villa in Mangaratiba, a resort town outside Rio.

He faced criticism last week after he was photographed relaxing with a group of friends on a beach volleyball court, even as half the world’s population — including most of Brazil — is in confinement to slow the virus’ spread.

His press team said he was receiving no visitors and was in quarantine at a “completely isolated” residence with people who made the trip from France with him.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Waylon Galvez

NLEX guard and former Letran star Kevin Alas is raising funds for frontliners fighting COVID-19.

Alas, who played for the Knights in the NCAA before turning pro in 2014, has provided two signed items – a Gilas Pilipinas jersey and a ‘Kobe 8’ sneakers – to the Lightning Round for auction Friday.

The items were worn by Alas during the 2013 Southeast Asian Games.

While the jersey is memorable for the shooting guard since it was from his initial stint with the national team, the shoes is said to be a rare pair of “What the Kobe” from a shoe line by the late Black Mamba.

“All proceeds will go to the front

liners,” said Alas in his Facebook post.

The bidding for the jersey starts at P1,500, while bidding for sneakers begins at P3000. The bidding opened at 6 in the morning Friday and ends at 10 p.m. of the same day.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Field Level Media-Reuters

With the NBA season on an indefinite hold due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, a handful of the league’s players provided some live entertainment Friday night.

The 16-player NBA 2K Players Tournament opened with top seed Kevin Durant bounced by No. 16 seed Derrick Jones Jr.

Players are seeded by their overall rating in the NBA 2K20 title, then by tenure in the league.

Durant, the injured Brooklyn Nets star who has a 96 rating, chose the Los Angeles Clippers as his team but said he was let down by his defense in the lopsided loss to Jones (78 rating).

The Miami Heat forward, who was the NBA Slam Dunk Contest winner in February, used the Milwaukee Bucks in his 78-62 victory.

Jones got 22 points from Khris Middleton and 20 from Giannis Antetokounmpo in the virtual game televised by ESPN.

Players in the tournament are allowed a pool of eight teams they can choose from during the tournament, but each team can be used by that player just once. Jones advances to the quarterfinals, but he cannot play as Milwaukee again.

Jones and Durant had little to say during their matchup, but Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine and Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton kept the chatter lively in what was a two-point game at halftime. The 7-vs.-10 matchup was a meeting between to 85-rated players.

Ayton kept the ball in the hands of Russell Westbrook while utilizing the “small ball” Houston Rockets. LaVine went with the Heat, starting the game with a 3-pointer from Duncan Robinson.

Ayton is known for his 2K prowess — he said during the game he’s been playing since NBA 2K09 came out. LaVine, who admitted to being a newbie, trailed by five entering the fourth quarter. He missed a barrage of 3-point tries in the third, and the wheels fell off fully in the fourth.

“You moving too fast,” Ayton jabbed as his lead crept higher en route to a 57-41 win.

Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young, playing as the Bucks, obliterated Sacramento Kings forward Harrison Barnes, playing as the Toronto Raptors, 101-59. Young, the event’s second seed with a 90 NBA 2K20 rating, advances to a quarterfinal matchup with Ayton.

In the final game of the night, Los Angeles Clippers guard Patrick Beverley, using the Bucks, produced an 84-54 rout of Portland Trail Blazers center Hassan Whiteside, playing as the Los Angeles Lakers. Beverley is seeded 14th with a 78 rating.

The first round continues Sunday with the last four games, all to air live on ESPN2:

–No. 8 Montrezl Harrell (Los Angeles Clippers center) vs. No. 9 Domantas Sabonis (Indiana Pacers forward)

–No. 4 Donovan Mitchell (Utah Jazz guard) vs. Rui Hachimura (Washington Wizards forward)

–No. 5 Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns guard) vs. No. 12 Michael Porter Jr. (Denver Nuggets forward)

–No. 6 Andre Drummond (Cleveland Cavaliers center) vs. No. 11 DeMarcus Cousins (free agent center)

The quarterfinals are scheduled for Tuesday night on ESPN2, and the semifinals and final will air April 11 on ESPN. The champion will get $100,000 to donate to the coronavirus-relief charity of his choice.

All games are available live on the NBA or NBA 2K Twitter, Twitch, YouTube and Facebook channels.

Source: Manila Bulletin